One of Iceland's three whaling vessels left Reykjavik harbour early on Sunday and was to be joined by the others later.

Bad weather had prevented whaling from resuming on Friday, when the government's moratorium ended.

The government has authorised the three ships to catch 38 minke whales by September 30, under what it says is a "research plan".

Examining the content of the whale's stomachs would give scientists crucial information about fish stock around Iceland, it says.

"It's a big day for us," Gudmundur Haraldsson, captain of the Njordur, told AFP as the whaling ship prepared to leave Kopavogur harbour, just south of the capital Reykjavik.

But he confessed to being unhappy with the attention he was getting. "We are not keen to say where we are heading," he said.

Konrad Eggertsson, captain of the MB Halldor Sigurdsson, said he suspected international protests would soon die down.

"It's a storm in a teacup," he told AFP.

The crew of the MB Sigurbjorg, the boat opening the chase, told AFP they had sighted a few minke whales but had not fired at them because the animals were outside the designated hunting area.

Minke whales have not been caught around Iceland since 1985 and no whales at all have been killed since the conclusion of the government's previous research plan in 1989.

Eggertsson said the three boats were acting under strict scientific scrutiny and each vessel had two Icelandic Marine Research Instutescientists on board who were "calling the shots".

"We are mere hands on deck," Eggertsson said.

The catch will come from 10 designated areas around Iceland, with two to 10 whales to be caught in each.

The hunters are not permitted to shoot more than one whale at each spot.

Minke whales are six to eight metres long and weigh on average between four and eight tonnes.

Haraldsson said the whales would be cut up, their meat stored in cold storage on board and the carcasses thrown in the sea.

He said it was difficult to tell how long it would take to meet the catch quota since the ships would have to cover a large expanse of sea on their hunt.

Iceland's decision to resume whaling has drawn international protest from several governments, the European Union and non-governmental organisations.

The United States has even warned Iceland that its move could lead to trade sanctions.

Icelandic ministries and embassies around the world have been bombarded with e-mails since last week as part of a campaign organised by environmental pressure group Greenpeace.

The protest movement is likely to enter a more belligerent phase when Greenpeace's vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, reaches Iceland in around two weeks time.

Icelandic media on Sunday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the government welcomed the protest emails, since they provided Iceland "with a platform to defend its cause". Every e-mail would receive a reply, he said.

In its defence the Icelandic government cites an estimate -- ratified by the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee -- that the minke whale stock in the mid-Atlantic numbered 67,000 individuals in 2001, of which 43,000 whales were in Icelandic waters.

Around 200 minke whales were caught by Iceland each year between 1977 and 1985, without having a significant impact on the stock's size, according to Icelandic scientists.

TERRA.WIRE